Photograph by: Handout
, YouTube

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Four Canadian tourists, including a nine-year-old boy, were killed Sunday in a gas explosion at a hotel on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, authorities say.

The boy, as well as three Canadian men — two of whom were 51 and 33 years old, respectively — died after the blast at the Grand Riviera Princess hotel in the beach resort of Playa del Carmen, civil protection director Jesus Puc told Postmedia News on Sunday.

Two Mexican were also killed in what was described as a natural gas explosion, which shook the building, bringing down a section of roof, around 9 a.m. local time.

“Under no circumstances are we talking about an attack,” said Francisco Alor, the attorney general for Quintana Roo state.

“It was an explosion of gas and we are determining the causes.”

About 15 to 20 people were injured, he said.

The names and hometowns of the Canadians killed in the blast had yet to be released.

The explosion tore through one of the hotel’s four lobbies. Dozens of Canadians were staying at the resort at the time of the blast. None of those killed has yet been identified.

The parents of a Red Deer woman staying at the resort for a friend’s wedding said they were relieved to find out their daughter was unharmed in the blast.

Blaine Harris said his daughter Stephanie, 20, sent a text message on Sunday morning saying she was on the other side of the Grand Riviera Princess hotel in the beach resort of Playa del Carmen during the explosion and wasn’t hurt.

“She said, ‘There was an explosion so if you hear anything on the news, I’m OK,’ ” Blaine Harris said.

The 20-year-old was in Mexico for her friend’s wedding, which was scheduled for Tuesday, Harris said, noting that Stephanie said all those involved with the wedding party were unharmed.

The family has few details about what happened.

“You hear stuff, you go ‘Oh, it’ll never happen.’ Then it’s the same resort. It’s just kind of freaky,” Harris said, adding that he was confident that authorities would have the situation under control.

At least four Canadian tourists and two workers were killed Sunday in a gas explosion at a hotel on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, authorities said.

Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was working to determine to help any Canadians affected by the blast.

The 570 News radio station reported that a group of tourists from Waterloo, Ont., had been staying at the hotel, but that none had been injured.

Video showing the aftermath of the explosion and shot by the station’s program director Peter Travers, a guest at the resort, was posted online.

Shot from an elevated vantage point, the footage showed a thatched roof at the front of one building partially collapsed and debris scattered around the structure. The injured can also be seen being treated by emergency personnel, with two ambulances parked nearby.

A WestJet spokesman said that the airline has more than 400 guests in the area at the moment, but has not determined how many of them were staying at the hotel where the explosion occurred.

The Grand Princess Riviera Hotel is a popular, said Richard Bartram, and can accommodate about 2,000 guests.

"Our primary concern is identifying those guess staying at the property and determing their status," said Bartram.

The airline has activated its emergency response team and set up a toll-free line for families and friends looking for information about their loves ones. Call 1-866-786-6311 in Canada or the United States and if you are in Mexico, airlines reps can be reached at 215-352-3902..

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